Time will tell whether this World Cup, plus the addition of Twenty20 cricket to the 2028 Olympics’ lineup in Los Angeles, will help the sport take root in the US, but already there is an extraordinary story to tell. One of a different kind of seeding and growth, and of a sport that has literally made the earth move, across two continents and 11,000 miles, to make this event happen.
When the opening batter takes guard in New York on Monday as Sri Lanka play South Africa in the first competitive game at the venue, he will be standing on a drop-in pitch that started its life more then eight months ago in the South Australia city of Adelaide.
